BATON ROUGE, La. -- By necessity, the UTEP women's basketball team has become good at grinding, methodical games.

Leery of one of the nation's deepest teams, Conference USA opponents for the most part looked to get the Miners in walk-it-up contests, which led to UTEP being ranked fifth nationally in field-goal defense and 20th in scoring defense.

That often hid the fact that the Miners like to run-and-gun and spin the scoreboard. In No. 11, fourth-seeded Penn State, they've found a running mate for today's NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament opener.

"They're a really fast-paced, uptempo team, that's how we like to play too, so it should be a fun game," Penn State guard Alex Bentley said. "I like playing teams that like to run because I like to run. I'd say it's a lot more fun."

At the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in the UTEP locker room, that sentiment was echoed.

"That's good for my team," senior Erika Warren said. "When people slow it down, we slow down and don't do anything."

"Running is our game," sophomore Kayla Thornton said. "We like a fast tempo. Once (opponents) slow the ball down, we slow ourselves down and that's not us."

That sure isn't Penn State, which is 10th nationally in scoring at 75.5 points per game. By contrast, UTEP is 81st at 67.

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3, but when offered the chance, the Miners eagerly switch gears.

In the Conference USA tournament quarterfinal, Southern Miss revved its engine and eventually lost an entertaining 92-79 run-fest that marked the most points UTEP has scored this year.

The flip side of that, however, is that Penn State is better by far than anyone the Miners have played, and they are a sure bet to score a bunch of points. Defense is always a talking point for a Keitha Adams-coached team, and that doesn't change when the score is in the 80s instead of the 50s.

"It will be a lot of fun, no doubt, but our defense, our transition defense, is going to be really important," Adams said. "Their 75 points per game is a reflection of their three guards. They can push it and run the ball, they have a nice combination of an inside-outside attack."

That all begins with three explosive guards in Maggie Lucas, Bentley and Zhaque Gray, who combine to average 47 points per game.

"Maggie Lucas is quite a player," Adams said. "Their team starts with their point guard Bentley. She does a great job of running the floor and pushing the ball up in transition and getting the ball to the right people in the right places. She's phenomenal. I'm sure Lucas loves playing with Bentley.

"It's quite a 1-2 punch. They're good, and Gray can sit right over there and knock down three-point shots. Their three guards are good and we're aware of that. We know we're going to have to play exceptionally well against their backcourt. They're three dynamic guards together."

Penn State's focus, meanwhile, is on UTEP post Gloria Brown.

"They're deep, they're talented and they've got a number of players who can create their own shots," Lady Lions coach Coquese Washington said. "They do a good job of attacking the basket and putting pressure on you.

"They're an outstanding rebounding team and they've got at least one player in Gloria Brown who can take over the game down the stretch, plays like a superstar and can put the team on her shoulders.

"They have a lot of weapons offensively, and they are aggressive defensively and on the boards. I have a tremendous amount of respect for who they are and how they play and the success they've had in Conference USA this year."

Brown "is a very skilled post player," Lucas said. "She's physical, she has a nice touch around the basket and from the film we watched, she looks very talented."

Brown only averages 20 minutes per game, but Adams hinted that could change today.

"We always get a feel for how things are going in the first half," she said. "I think my coaching staff has done a great job communicating and getting a pulse for the game and different situations. We'll try to dial up a lot of players in the first half.

"We have had a lot of different players that have stepped up big for us on a lot of different nights, and we'll have that same approach. We know Gloria is going to need to be on the floor for us with their size and their post players. She'll definitely have to be on the floor for us."

If UTEP is to pull the biggest upset in program history, they'll need Brown to be huge.

"It's going to be fun," she said.

The stage has never been bigger.

Bret Bloomquist may be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; 546-6359.

Make plans for the Miners

What: UTEP (29-3) vs. Penn State (24-6) in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

When: 3:15 p.m. MDT today.

Where: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

On TV: ESPN2.

On radio: KHRO-AM (1150).

Online: Follow the game today during our live chat, starting at 2:45 p.m.